Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Cain

I pride myself on knowing what's happening and when, of being one step ahead of any of my enemies. But today… today, someone pulled a fucking fast one on me.

I thought everyone was secured. Never fucking dawned on me a sniper would off the one witness I need. I'd interrogate the rest of his staff, but I need to get Violet the hell out of here before she's hurt.

Team Alpha shadows me only minutes away during a detail, and today is no exception. They sweep in with the ease and practice of a well-oiled machine, while I secure Violet.

"Do exactly what I tell you. Keep your head down. Follow me. Don't respond to any bait, and if I tell you to shoot, you fucking shoot."

Could be one sniper, could be a goddamn team, there's no telling, but I don't want her here for another second longer.

We got some information, but not enough. We'll have to keep digging, but I'll have my team get cracking on that.

Violet's my priority. And I know she's here to find the people that killed her parents, but none of that matters if she's dead.

I leave my team with strict instructions to find whatever they can from who's left. Henri, Claude, and Joe are the ones I trust with my life. Today will be no exception.

We walk straight to the front door, my reasoning being that no one who's actually going to attack us would be so bold as to attack us here, though I've honestly been wrong before and don't take any chances. I cautiously open the door and tuck her against me, using my body as a human shield.

"I can cover myself, Cain," she says, glaring at me, but I know she's really mad we have to cut this shorter than we hoped.

"I know you can but do not try me now, woman." She'd better not fight me on this.

Violet's a force to be reckoned with, but so am I.

We walk out the front door where a ride's waiting for us, brought here by my team. Someone watches in the distance. This whole operation's gone to shit. I peer over the hood of the car to see who it is, but only see a flash of green before that's gone. Jesus.

We get into the car and head back to my place, but it isn't safe anymore.

"Dammit," I swear under my breath. "We need to get you somewhere safe."

"Your house is Fort goddamn Knox," she says, scowling.

"Not if we're followed by a sniper."

She shrugs. "Then lose them."

"That easy? Just lose them?"

She nods. "Yeah. We won't be any safer anywhere else."

I know she's right, I just hate taking chances. Just the same, I nod. She has a point.

"Fine. We'll go home. You're right, I've got more resources there than anywhere else, but first I need to make sure we aren't followed."

"Naturally. I'll make sure, too. Let me drive, and you can do surveillance."

If I could drive and do surveillance at the same time, I would. I curse under my breath, making her grin. She knows I don't give up the driver's seat lightly.

"You just saw me torture a man, and now you're damn near grinning? God, you need a spanking so fucking bad." I slam the door as I reluctantly take the passenger seat.

That only makes her grin widen.

"You're just so cute when you go all alpha."

"You're out of your fucking mind."

"I know, it's what you love best about me."

"Wouldn't say best, but it's up there."

She giggles like a little girl, a rarity for my Violet. I take one second, just one second, and yank her over to me so I can plant a kiss on her forehead, before I shove her back in the driver's seat.

"If we get into a car chase, I will never forgive you for making me do this," I say with a growl.

She shakes her head. "Aw, baby, you do say the sweetest things."

"Buckle up," I grumble.

She's already snapping her belt.

I see no signs of anyone following us at all. Whoever it was took off in the green car. Fucking wimp. Pussy. Who takes off like that?

We're heading back as I watch the road.

"No one's tailing us, Cain, I'd have seen them."

I nod, while I run my hand under the seats and visors of the car. "I don't see anyone either. However…" my fingers clasp around something secured to one of the visors. I yank it down and lay it in my hand.

She looks over out of the corner of her eye and whistles. "So even this is tracked, eh? Did you have the car we drove in checked?"

"With what time, babe? We literally just left."

"Bet my left boob that thing's got a tracker then."

"Your left boob ? Jesus."

"Guys say left nut, what's a girl supposed to say?"

"Nothing. You say nothing."

She glances out the window, and the smile fades from her face. "Something bothered me about what he said during your questioning, Cain." I don't know why the tone of her voice sends alarm bells clanging in my mind. It's like a warning bell, like the wailing of a siren before a storm. I shake my head, willing myself to stop acting like a pussy.

"What?"

She frowns, and hits the gas, her speed creeping up as she heads onto the highway.

"Babe, watch the speed."

"We have to get back to the house."

I stare at the mirror to see if we're being tailed. Still, nothing. "Doesn't do us any good if we arrive in body bags."

She rolls her eyes. "You're being dramatic."

"Slow down, or I'll make you pull this car over."

She glares at me and punches the gas again. Oh, this woman is in so much goddamn trouble. Before I can respond, something catches my attention in the rearview mirror. A flash of green.

"Keep it steady, Vi. Someone's behind us."

I flip the switch on the side of the seat so it reclines, fold the headrest back, and kneel, gun in hand. I don't care if anyone sees us. I don't care about fucking anything but making sure we get home safe and sound.

Hardly any cars are with us on the road, but Violet zooms past every one of them. I'm not telling her to slow down now.

I kneel on the folded-down seat, gun in hand, my eyes on the target. If this is anyone of importance…

The green is gone. I wonder for a second if it was only my imagination, when a flash of green appears a second time.

"Come at me, bro," I whisper. Violet's peal of laughter makes me smile. God, I love this woman. She just watched me interrogate an old man, almost kill another, and now I've got a gun trained on someone following us, ready to pull the trigger. And she makes jokes about her left boob and laughs.

"You're either perfect or psychotic," I mutter.

"Aw, you do say the most romantic things. Do you need me to maneuver in a way that gives you better vision?"

"No, babe. What you're doing is perfect."

The flash of green is only a speck, so far behind us I can't see much. I don't want her to slow down because that could put us in a compromising situation, but I want to see the motherfucker up close.

"Can you see anything at all?" she asks.

"Looks like a sunroof… but I can't see much else."

Violet frowns. "That sounds familiar, but I can't place it."

"Me neither."

"Fuck, they took an exit."

I watch as the green car slows and gets off the highway behind us.

"Maybe they weren't following us?"

I shake my head. Doesn't make sense they weren't. Doesn't make sense at all.

My phone rings, and I quickly answer it. "Yeah?"

"Boss." Henri. "I've got some information for you that may prove useful."

Violet takes the exit that brings us home.

"I want to hear it but first, I want you to notify the team at the house that Violet and I are almost there, and we are pretty certain we were followed by a green car."

"Green, sir?"

"Yeah. Ring a bell for you?"

"I don't want to point fingers or raise unnecessary suspicion, sir. Is that all you have to go on?"

"Yeah. Henri." My voice is tight. "Spill."

"Armand had a green car, sir. Would he be so foolish as to follow you without bothering to get another car?"

"I don't know."

Foolish, maybe. Lazy, definitely.

"What did you find, Henri?"

"I've found a record of Violet's mother, sir. And it's… let's just say it's interesting. I have to investigate further though."

That tells me nothing. "You have nothing else to tell me?"

"Not yet, sir."

We'll have to double down our efforts. But we're making progress. We're getting somewhere. I hang up with Henri, and Violet looks my way.

"What?"

"Armand drove a green car."

"Well that doesn't mean anything. Lots of people have green cars."

I nod. "Yeah, but I've heard it on good authority that he doesn't let shit go."

She blows out a breath. "Of course not. That would be far too simple, wouldn't it?"

Oh yeah. It truly would.

Her stomach growls when we pull into the drive at the house. I check on security, and all confirm—no one followed us here. Surveillance has been doubled. We're safe here.

"Inside."

"Cain, you're acting like a sniper's just going to jump out at us at any moment."

"They did at Descamps' house."

She snorts. "They weren't at Cain Master's private house , were they? Cain, when I hired my first ride here, the driver wouldn't even come this far."

"No?"

"No. He found out who lived here and he was done. Dropped me off a mile away and made me walk."

"Now that's a form of bullying. I want his name."

"You can't beat up everyone that isn't nice to me."

"Watch me. And how did you know that's what I wanted to do?"

She rolls her eyes. "Because you're super fucking predictable."

Oh she is in so much trouble.

I practically kick open the door to the house and usher her in. "Get in there."

"Yes, sir," she says in that sickly sweet tone reserved for nothing but sarcasm. I slap her ass.

"Cain," she says, abashed.

"Violet," I mimic. I take out my phone and dial Henri. "You find anything else out?'

"Was just about to call you."

"Yeah? Why?"

"We found out some more information. It wasn't Violet's father who killed anyone. He was their I.T. guy, not an assassin."

I blow out a breath as I meet Violet's eyes. This intel challenges something she's held as truth for years.

"Any more intel?"

"We're working on it, sir. I'll let you know as soon as we have anything. Joe's got one of the security guys to talk."

"Excellent." I don't ask how. I don't need to know anything at all.

When we enter the house, the rest of my security detail swarms around me. Violet's swept out of my arms and inspected; someone swabs antibacterial ointment onto a cut I didn't even know I had. I grunt my way through updates and get another call from Team Alpha. The investigation is under full swing, and Henri's trying to get camera footage from the chase we had.

"Okay, kids," Violet says, shooing away anyone else who tries to come anywhere near her. "Leave mama be."

I shrug off Skylar, who's holding gauze in one hand and glaring at me. "Sky, babe, leave him be," Violet says over my shoulder, but we both know what Skylar's been through and sometimes we don't know what will trigger a response.

Skylar's eyes fill with tears. "You guys scared the shit out of me," she sniffs, angrily wiping her eyes. "I saw that car come after you, and I?—"

"Wait, what?" Violet says.

Skylar's eyes widen. "What? Did I do something wrong?" She's not normally this skittish, but something's got her worried.

"Skylar, how did you see us? What footage?"

"There's that camera in your car, Cain." She flushes. "You told me I could play around with the surveillance footage, get familiar with it, so I did. That one wasn't turned on, but…" her voice trails off as a cold trickle of sweat falls down my neck. The surveillance footage. Skylar's been able to access it because I gave her permission and the password. I thought it was the easiest job to give her, one that wouldn't trigger any response…

But there's more than our standard footage on those recordings. Goddammit, I've got every video I ever took of Violet on those. If she saw them…

"Cain!" Violet turns to me. "We have to go see what she found. If there's anything on there that gives us a better view of the person following us, we need that intel, and now."

"I'll get it." I give Skylar a sympathetic look, as she's staring at me as if I have two heads. "When Henri's done with what he's doing right now, I'll have him contact you. Thanks, Sky." I tug a lock of her hair and give what I hope is a reassuring grin. "I need to talk to Violet alone."

"Why?" Now Violet's giving me the confused look.

"Vi. Upstairs," I say, and I feel like a total douche when I actually feign limping. "I have to get off my feet for a bit."

Douche.

DOUCHE.

Violet nods and takes my hand. "Alright. Sky, I'll be in touch. And thank you."

"You guys need something to eat?"

"Yes, God, please, " Violet says with a smile. I grunt in agreement. "Send up sandwiches or something?"

We head upstairs. I quickly shoot Henri a text.

Sky found our archives. Delete. You know what.

I slide my phone in my pocket.

"You know… some days, I feel like we just met. Other days feel like we're an old, married couple."

My mind is focused on the footage, what's on there, what Skylar could've easily found if I wasn't careful.

Did she already find it?

"Yeah?" I'm distracted.

"Yeah." On the landing, she spins to look at me, her voice wary. "Okay, Mr. Master."

My heart does a little leap.

"Yeah? Violet, move."

" Move ? Now I'm your employee?"

Her voice takes on an edge.

"I am not letting you bait me."

"Oh, don't I know it," she says, her violet eyes snapping at me. "You'd just as soon haul me over your knee, wouldn't you? Hmm?"

"What the actual hell has gotten into you?"

"The better question is, what the hell got into you ?"

Oh no, she does not turn this back around on me. "I'm warning you. Knock it off, or you do not like where this is gonna go, babe."

She stands her ground, hands on her hips. "And now you're threatening me? Oh, no sirree."

I've had it. I bend, yank her over my shoulder, and finish walking up the stairs. She predictably scissors her legs and slaps my back.

"Don't you dare use your big, huge body to overpower me!" A door opens, and our housekeeper Alma holds it wide. "Oh, my, my, my," she says, then goes right back in and closes her door again.

I slap Violet's ass perched over my shoulder, hard.

"Don't you dare!"

"Just did. Or what?" I spank her again.

"Or I'll scream !"

"Then what? Scream to be rescued?"

She howls and smacks my back. I walk past my bedroom to the library, slam the door behind me, and lock it.

"What are you doing?" she asks, her tone laden with panic. "Caiinnn…"

I'm driving her to distraction while Henri does what I asked him to. I don't want to fucking fight with her anyway.

"Cain, are you doing what I think you're doing?"

The wind howls outside the window, raging with the threat of freezing rain. But here, in front of the fire, the wood crackles and burns with the ferocity of a dragon.

"What if I don't want to?" she says, even as an edge in her tone begs me to take her, dares me to make her.

"You promised me." I'm already unfastening her jeans and shoving them halfway down her thighs. "Hands over your head."

With a whimper, she wriggles but obeys. My jeans tighten when she makes me hard, that angry but obedient side to her the hottest thing I've ever seen. She wars with herself. She fights it. There isn't a submissive bone in Violet's body, but she wants this.

Needs this.

Craves this.

And she doesn't like to flat-out defy me. She's done it a few times, but most of the time, Violet does what she's promised … to give herself to me fully.

I reach for the top she wears, fitted to her body like a glove, and yank it up and over her head. She wears nothing but a little red bra with cotton cups and tiny satin laces. In one flick of the wrist, the bra is open and her breasts fall free. I take a moment to lick and nibble, kiss and worship each of them, until her back arches and she releases a low moan.

"Yes. Mmm. God, yes, I love it when you torture my nipples."

I take that as an invitation, and sink my teeth into one hardened, throbbing bud, while I stroke between her legs. I flick my tongue over the very tip, making her moan and gyrate her hips. The fire flickers in the hearth, as I lay her on a soft rug.

"You put… this rug… here just for this, didn't you?" she pants, bracing herself on her palms before the fire.

"No, I put it here for show." I bite her other nipple. "Of course I bought it for this. Who else ever comes in here?"

The library is at the end of the hall past my bedroom, and Violet's really the only one who frequents this area of the house, which is why it's the perfect spot to keep her occupied while Henri does his work.

God, I hate myself for this. All this time, I told myself I was trying to build trust with her, but am I doing the one thing that might cause her not to trust me?

What will she do if I tell her?

I watch as her lips part, and lose myself to pleasuring her. I've never been one who was eager to please, but with Violet… God, with Violet, I'll give her anything she wants. Anything.

I immerse myself in her, in the way she tastes, her intoxicating smell, the way her body moves when I touch her. I inhale her fragrance and lick her breasts, I smell the salty-musky scent of her seduction wrapped around me like a cloak, and I'm lost.

I tear the rest of her clothing off and ignore the vicious rip sound when I tear her panties. Her clothes are in the way, and I want them off now.

"Me, too, Cain, let me," she whispers, her fingers clasping my belt buckle and quaking. I nod, while I yank the hem of my tee and tug it over my head. Violet's eyes go half-lidded, and she runs her tongue along her lips.

I shove every other thought out of my mind. I won't dwell on fear. I've got Violet, and that's all that matters to me right now.